Andrew interviews Tai Chi Master Wen Peng, with the help of a translator and tai chi practitioner, Shiaw-Ling Lai. Andrew learns a great deal about Tai Chi, including its amazing defensive capabilities. Students demonstrate basic maneuvers.
Chinese speakers will probably be able to learn even more, because Shiaw-Ling admitted that it was hard to keep up with everything Master Wen Peng said.
This was a great taping. The club brought SO MANY ships! There were plenty for set design and show and tell, and to edit into the discussion. Their media experts are two brothers who sat with me in the booth and provided a ton of footage. It may take a little time to sort through it all.
It was a lot of fun to see them in action at the Maker Faire, so I’m glad they agreed to be our guests.
Last weekend, Loretta, Keith and I went to the Maker Faire. What is the Maker Faire? I've been asked that several times, usually whenever I mention that I'm going to it. The Maker Faire is a gathering of people who create things. All sorts of things. Usually from the depths of their scary, smart brains. These are the people who move technology forward because they need it to do something or the cosmos has sent them a unique idea.
Some of the things I saw:
A 13-year-old who created a robot that could go through a house, find a flame and put it out
The old fashioned screen printers
Engineers without borders, who bring clean water and electricity to places that we think wouldn't be fun to camp in
Gasifiation and the alternative fuel road rally
The Mentos and Diet Coke guys - Eepybird
Kinetic Pastry - cupcakes and muffins that drive around
Electric Giraffe
Art cars and trucks
Adam Savage
A Beaver computer
Famous robots on the move
Easy animation software from closed line drawings
Art from discarded digital cameras
Model battleships
Large metal sculpture
An elliptical bicycle
Random monster costumes
Oh, and hot jugglers
All the people were interesting and passionate about their inventions or activities. Most have done things I can only wish I had the brain capacity or talent to do. There was so much to see and so many people to talk to that I barely know where to begin. I suppose the best place to begin is the Kinetic Pastry since they were the first things we saw when we walked in the front door.
With the Olympic torch passing through nearby San Francisco recently, I thought having supporters of Tibet as guests would be timely, yet timeless. Andrew found a student group at a nearby San Jose State University, and all seemed well.
As we assembled the set in the studio, however, Andrew noted that the guests were late. He was surprised because he confirmed with them that morning. A phone call later brings the bad news. The group decided that now was not the best time to be talking about Tibet.
What?!? Really?!? Bewildering as that decision was, they did not even have the courtesy to tell us before our taping time. The station still charges us for studio time, even if we can’t make a show. If we had known, even a few hours ahead, we could have put together a replacement guest.
I’m appalled by the rudeness of this group of supporters of Tibet. Somewhere, the Dalai Lama is crying.
This was a great taping. Everything fell into place early and well. The guests had varied positions within the organization. They all spoke easily and well. They were knowledgeable, but not pretentious. They brought footage to edit into the show. They readily agreed to make a PSA for us. AND they have a lot of other related groups to be guests on future shows! Bliss.
